4 children born before their parents' marriage

Hermanus Blekton (also Blackstone, Blikton, Blextoon, Blaxstone) is a son of Jan Blekton (†1802) and Willemijna van der Weijden (1754-1800). This family name has an English ring to it. Additionally, its many variations are an indication of a foreign origin. The family can be traced back to one Isack Blekston whose burial in Dordrecht was registered on 8-1-1704.

Hermanus was married on 18-1-1832 in Dordrecht to Neeltje Meijer. Neeltje was baptized in Dordrecht on 5-8-1796. Her parents are Abraham Meijer (†1812) and Adriana Romijn (†1808). Remarkably, upon their marriage Hermanus and Neeltje acknowledged to be the parents of 4 (!) children: Jan, registered in 1823, Abraham in 1825, Willem in 1828 and Adrianus in 1830. Willem died in December 1832. Adrianus died aged 4. Within their marriage 3 additional children were born: Jannetje, another Willem and Maria Adriana.

Dordrechtsche Courant (newspaper), 15-8-1850

Neeltje Meijer died on 21-7-1850 in Dordrecht. Hermanus Blekton died there on 18-5-1864.

Longevity ~ Willem Molendijk (91) in Mijnsheerenland

Willem Molendijk was 91 years old when he died on 25-5-1885 in Mijnsheerenland in Holland. He had been a widower for just 2 years for he had lost his wife on 25-1-1883.

Nieuwsblad, gewijd aan de belangen van de Hoeksche Waard,  IJselmonde, Kralingen & Vlaardingen, 7-5-1885

Willem Molenldijk was born on 10-5-1794 in ‘s-Gravendeel in Holland as the eldest son of Cornelis Molendijk (1772-1854) and his wife Trijntje Niemandsverdriet (1772-1853). Willem's paternal grandparents are Willem Molendijk (1736-1800) and his wife Lijsbeth (“Leijsje”) Molendijk (1743-1802). Willem's paternal great-grandparents are Adriaan Molendijk (1703-1773) and his wife Luijcksje Molendijk (±1711-1793). This Molendijk family had many branches, all descending from a Goossen Ariensz. who was married in 1689 in Ridderkerk in Holland.

Signatures of Willem Molendijk and Jannigje
van Prooijen and both their fathers.

At the age of 34, Willem Molendijk married Jannigje van Prooijen on 14-5-1828 in ‘s-Gravendeel. Jannigje was born there on 17-12-1805 as a younger daughter of Leendert van Prooijen (±1766-1843) and his first wife Aagje den Boer (1770-1809). This couple had 8 children who reached adulthood, but only 3 of them – Lijntje, Maria and Jannigje - were married. As a widower, Jannigje’s father Leendert was to remarry in 1812 in ‘s-Gravendeel. Leendert’s second wife was Lijntje Molendijk (1764-1842), widow of Jan van der Linden (†1810) and daughter of Cornelis Molendijk (±1735-1784).

Jannigje van Prooijen and Willem Molendijk had a stillborn son in May 1829. Soon, however, they had two daughters: Aagje, born on 18-4-1830, and Trijntje, born on 29-5-1831 in Mijnsheerenland. Nearly eight years later, a son Cornelis was born on 24-1-1839. Their youngest daughter Lijntje died on 3-2-1850, aged seven.

Hendrika Agatha Warbie's husband had left for Connecticut, USA

Hendrika Agatha Warbie was born on 18 September 1896 in Rotterdam, Holland, as the second daughter of Johannes Warbie (1864-1918) and Agatha Pieternella van der Toorn (1876-1945). Her parents had been married on 19 October 1892 in Rotterdam when her mother was just 16 years old. Their first daughter was born on 12 February 1894 and named Johanna Wilhelmina. Agatha Pieternella gave birth to 11 children, but most of them died in infancy. A son named Leonardus Gijsbertus Warbie (1900-1928) and a younger daughter named Agatha Warbie (1903-1956) both survived infancy, too. 

Hendrika Agatha's oldest sister, Johanna Wilhelmina, was married in 1917. Their father, Johannes Warbie, died in Rotterdam on 21 December 1918.
Hendrika Agatha Warbie was married on 20 December 1922 in Rotterdam. The groom, Franciscus Hendrikus van Waardenburg, was born on 24 December 1888 as younger son of Adrianus Wijnandus van Waardenburg en Adriana van der Torren. His grandfather and great-grandfather were also named Adrianus Wijnandus van Waardenburg and were also living in Rotterdam.
Hendrik Agatha Warbie gave birth a daughter who died on 23 March 1923 in Rotterdam before she had been given a name.

Nederlandsche Staatscourant, 14-8-1934

Around June 1923 Franciscus Hendrikus van Waardenburg left his wife and disappeared. The next Hendrika Agatha gave birth to a son Gerrit who died 4 months later on 23 March 1925 in Rotterdam. He can't have been her husband's son. 
As an abandoned wife, Hendrika Agatha, started divorce procedures in 1934. She didn't know what had happened to her husband since he left, and thought he may have died. She indicated that she wanted to remarry.
A judge in Rotterdam decided at the end of 1935 to grant Hendrika Agatha Warbie a license to enter into another marriage, because nothing had been heard of her husband for over 10 years, and he had not responded to three published calls.

Henri Gerrit Booij (1907-1944) from Rotterdam was buried in Changkai

Henri Gerrit Booij was born on 2 July 1907 in Rotterdam. His parents are Hendrik Booij and Jannetje de Wilde. His paternal grandparents are Gerrit Booij (1837-1882) and Bregtje de Waal. His paternal great-grandparents are Jacob Booij (1785-1866) and his third wife Niesje Beets (1810-1882) who were living in Ilpendam, Holland. The paternal great-great-grandparents of Henri Gerrit are Gerrit Jacobsz. Booij (1757-1828), Eegje Jans Dekker (1763-1820), Sijmon Jansz. Beets (±1767-1817) and Krelisje Bos (1776-1848).

When Henri Gerrit Booij was 21 years old, his father Henri Booij died on 1 June 1929, aged 52, in Hillegersberg (now part of Rotterdam). He had been born on 30 May 1877 in Buiksloot, Holland, and had been working as a waiter. Henri's widow, Jannetje de Wilde, was born on 19 March 1873 in Amsterfoort, Utrecht area, The Netherlands. They had been married on 7 March 1901 in Amsterdam. An overview of their younger children and birth dates is shown in the image below. 

Henri Gerrits Booij with his parents and younger siblings

At the age of 31, Henri Gerrit Booij was married on 23 November 1938 in Rotterdam to Helena Johanna Maria Verbakel, aged 29, born in Rotterdam. She was born on 7 March 1909 in Rotterdam as the eldest daughter of Wilhelmus Jacobus Verbakel (1879-1964) and Johanna Gerarda Visser. At some point the couple traveled to Indonesia.

POW Camp Card for Henri Gerrit Booij

In Indonesia Henri Gerrit Booij was working as a hotel clerk, probably in Nongkodjadjar on Java. He was described an infantry sergeant for the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) when he was captured by the Japanese on Java on 10 March 1942. He was transferred to the main Java Prisoner Of War (POW) Camp on 1 November 1942, and interned. He was transferred to the Thai No. 4 Branch Camp 7855 on 29 January 1943. Often, prisoners in the Thai POW Camps were forced by the Japanese to work on the Burma Railway between Nong Pladuk in Thailand and Thanbyuzayat in Burma (now Myanmar). Henri Gerrit Booij died in the No. 4 Branch Camp on 11 February 1944. He was buried in Chungkai.